This is my first attempt at writting a Bubblegum Crisis fanfic, so be 
forewarned.  I decided to write this after reading a review in 
Animerica.  The review was for an anime movie about a woman who sought 
revenge.  It went on to compare her to batman and look at her motives. 
It made me wonder about Sylia's motives.  What made her tick.  Why she 
did what she did.  What drove her after the anger was gone.

I haven't watched a whole lot of BCG, so my characterization is almost 
undoubetly a bit, at least, off.  This is just a rough draft, so I do 
intend to make changes.  But before that happens I'd really like some 
C&C on this.  You can post you C&C to the list, or email me privately, 
it doesn't really matter.  However, please be kind, constructive, and 
honest.

By the way, I'm new here, so hi!  ^_^

Anyways, onto the story...

***

Portrait in Black: Sylia
by Christina Walters

She watched the wind stir his unkempt hair as he approached, coat 
flapping in the same wind.  His shoes made their way deftly along the 
sand, the same way they had not so long ago.
	"You're late," was the only greeting she gave him.
	He merely shrugged.  "I hit some traffic."
	"I assume you have something big for me?"
	"You assume correctly," he replied, grinning.
	She raised an eyebrow as if to say, �I am waiting.'
	"First I'd like to know a few things."
	"Oh?  I'd say you already know more than enough."
	"And I'd disagree at the moment."
	"Well, would you care to elaborate?  I'm quite curious as to why you 
wish to know more, and what you want to know.  I also find myself 
wondering why you asked me to meet you here of all places."
	"Sylia, I have some information, but before I give it to you I need to 
know your motives.  And you should know why I asked you to meet here, on 
this beach."
	"My motives?  You, better than anyone should know them Fargo.  You were 
the one who helped me put my plan into motion.  Why is it so important 
that you know why I do what I do?"
	"Please Sylia, just answer my question, and stop playing Ice Queen for 
five minutes."
	She owed him, big time.  He'd helped her so much over the years; he'd 
helped her on her quest to avenge her father.  Yet this, this was a lot 
to ask of her.  He wanted to know what she herself didn't always know.  
For some strange reason, as Sylia Stingray looked into the eyes of the 
scruffy man standing in front of her she felt compelled to tell him one 
of the few secrets about her that he didn't know.
	"Alright, Fargo."  And so she began.  
	Sitting down on the sand Sylia closed her eyes for a moment and spoke.  
"After my father was murdered I was filled with rage.  I wanted to hurt 
the person that hurt him, but there was Mackie to think about.  So I 
waited.  Then Genom started to pervert my father's dream.  I let it go 
for a while, but it got to the point where I couldn't sit back and let 
them molest my father's creation any longer.
	"So I went to you with anger in my heart.  I had a desire for revenge, 
and you used that to train me.  You helped me channel my emotions to use 
in something productive.  You helped me realize what I had to do."
	Fargo smiled faintly remembering when she had first come to him, a 
scrawny, pretty little girl in her teens.  Clumsy, but strong, young, 
but somber.  She had been so determined to learn and to perfect herself, 
all in hopes of destroying Genom.
	"Once I began putting together my plan to take down Genom the anger had 
faded some.  It had almost completely burnt out.  I was still mad, but 
there wasn't a fire in my soul anymore.  There was a calm purpose.  A 
reason to live, a reason to exist.  
	"When I began putting together the Knight Sabers I had a goal in mind.  
I had something to work towards.  I had a purpose.  Once the Knight 
Sabers were together, and trained, and in action I needed a new goal.  
My weapon was in place.  Now I needed to do something with it.
	"I wanted to take down Genom.  I knew that much.  Money was a problem 
though.  I had inherited my father's fortune, and I had won sizeable 
sums of money from the fencing and shooting contests you had entered me 
in, but it still wasn't enough.  I needed a constant flow of cash to 
keep my weapon going.
		"I decided to hire the Knight Sabers out, but that brought up another 
problem.  What kind of jobs would I contract my weapon for?  Then I 
realized one of the reasons I wanted to bring Genom down.  They were 
evil.  They were the epitome of human shortcomings, and I wanted to 
eradicate them.  By being human and by being so monstrous they made me 
wonder about my own humanity.  How pure was I?  By perverting boomers 
and allowing to run rampant and echo their disgusting qualities they 
made me wonder about the part of myself that wasn't all-together human.  
How good was I?
	"By using the Knight Sabers to wipe out the evil in boomers and humans 
I was somehow exorcizing my own demons.  I was working for a cause that 
was higher than myself.  I was combating the evil in the world, and in 
me."
	Sylia took a deep breath and glanced at Fargo.  He nodded, it was all 
he could do after being allowed to look into the soul of a woman he had 
gone through so much with, yet, up until now, knew so little about.
	"Sylia, I have a way to bring Genom down.  But I had to be sure that 
you weren't just doing this for yourself before I told you.  I had to be 
sure you would see this through and wouldn't decide that taking down 
Genom wasn't worth it anymore.  I had to be sure you could pay the 
price."
	Sylia shook her head.  "It's alright.  Now let's hear your plan..."

Bubblegum Crisis owned by it's respective copywrite holders.  Story 
Copywrite Christina Walters, February 1999

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